How to Meditate on Scripture
We are instructed in scripture to meditate on God’s word. Other terms used are the bible, scripture, the law of the Lord, His precepts, His testimonies, His commandments, and/or His statutes.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8 (ESV)
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV)
The thing is, HOW does one meditate?
What IS meditation?
When we hear the word “meditate” I think some of us automatically picture a person sitting on the ground with their legs crossed, arms resting on their knees, palms facing upward with the thumb touching a finger, eyes closed, and humming or chanting some mantra. I’m pretty sure this isn’t what God has in mind though when He encourages us to meditate on scripture.
Some dictionary definitions of “meditate” include, “to engage in contemplation or reflection; to focus one’s thoughts on, reflect on, or ponder over; to think deeply about something; to dwell on any thing in thought; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind; to ruminate”.
The Hebrew word used for meditate is “hâgâh”. This word means to murmur, ponder, imagine, mutter, speak, study, talk, or utter.
Therefore, based on these definitions, if I am to meditate on scripture I might find myself doing the following:
- Reading aloud, saying the scriptures, and speaking or murmuring to myself about what I read
- Reading and then contemplating and reflecting on what I just read
- Focusing on different parts or things that stood out to me or meant something to me from what I just read
- Pondering the idea or the message of the verse(s)
- Letting the ideas or messages from the verse(s) roll around in my thoughts and imagination
- Thinking about the observations from the verse(s)
- Discerning some of the applications of the verse(s)
- Spending more time studying the verse(s)
- Dwelling on the ideas or messages from what I read, especially parts that stood out, throughout the day
Meditate…Ruminate…CHEW THE CUD?!?!
One of the words used in English dictionaries as a synonym and/or to define meditate is the word “ruminate”. Here are some definitions of “ruminate“:
- To think deeply about something; to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or slowly; to engage in contemplation
- To chew repeatedly for an extended period; to chew again what has been chewed slightly and swallowed: chew the cud
Notice the second definition, “chew the cud”? Sounds pretty gross, right? Well, meditation on God’s word can be a similar process to a ruminant animal eating and digesting its food.
Take a cow for example…
“The cow has four stomachs and undergoes a special digestive process to break down the tough and coarse food it eats. When the cow first eats, it chews the food just enough to swallow it. The unchewed food travels to the first two stomachs, the rumen and the reticulum, where it is stored until later. When the cow is full from this eating process, she rests. Later, the cow coughs up bits of the unchewed food called cud and chews it completely this time before swallowing it again. The cud then goes to the third and fourth stomachs, the omasum and abomasum, where it is fully digested. Some of this digested food enters the bloodstream and travels to a bag called the udder, where it is made into milk that will come out of her teats, while the rest goes towards the cow’s nourishment.”[1]
So HOW is this a good example of meditating on scripture?
Take a bite, start chewing, and swallow
Since the Word of God is often compared to bread or food for our spirit (see also Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4, Luke 4:4, 1 Peter 2:2, 1 Corinthians 10:3, Hebrews 5:12-14) and Jesus refers to himself as the bread of life (John 6:25-59), it seems reasonable to use an analogy for “chewing” on scripture and on the words of Jesus!
When we read the bible, the first time we read a verse or a passage it is like the first time the cow takes a bite of its food. Then we start to “chew” on that first bite. We think about it. What is our initial observation about this verse? Does anything stand out to us? What does it show us about God and His character? What does it show us about ourselves or areas in our life? Are there any practical applications we could or should take away from this verse? Does it relate to our life in any way right now? And so on.
Part of this “chewing” process is also verbal (“shall not depart from your mouth”). Remember part of the Hebrew definition includes murmuring, muttering, speaking, talking or uttering. Our meditation could include reading the verse(s) out loud, saying the verses under our breath, talking about them with others, etc. Hearing the spoken Word of God can help our understanding and build our faith.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17 (ESV)
“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” Luke 24:45 (NLT)
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 (ESV)
Then after chewing for a bit, we swallow. We put it inside of us, and move on to something different.
Regurgitate
Then later (later in the day, later in the week, etc.), we regurgitate that same information like a cow burping that cud back up to chew on some more. (I know, I know! It’s a disgusting analogy. I get it! However…it’s effective!) We ponder that verse or passage some more and chew on it some more. What we read might come to mind again. It might be because the Holy Spirit might be bringing it back into our remembrance…
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26 (ESV)
Additionally, we might remember the verse(s) again because something we see, hear, or experience reminds us of what we read previously. It could also be that we intentionally go back and look at it again or think about it again. Regardless, it’s all chewing the cud, meditating on scripture.
In this process, we see if anything new or different is revealed or brought to light. Often the more we think on something and study it, the more we get out of it (like a cow getting more nutrients as it regurgitates and chews the cud). We might see new and different things out of the exact same bits of scripture. For example, I might be able to read one verse 10 different times and get 10 different messages, applications, or perspectives of God. The more I chew, the more I get out of it.
Take Some Practical Steps to Meditate on Scripture:
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First, read your bible—read through a verse or passage of verses.
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Second, chew on it for a bit—Contemplate, Reflect, Ponder
What is your initial observation about this verse? What is the idea or the message of the verse(s)? Does anything stand out to you? What does it show you about God and His character? What does it reveal to you about yourself or areas in your life? Are there any practical applications you could or should take away from this verse? Does it relate to your life in any way right now?
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Then, speak it.
Part of meditation is speaking it out verbally. Speak the verses. Talk about the verses and what God is showing you.
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Next, regurgitate it and chew the cud.
Throughout the day or week purpose to think back on what you read. Ponder it some more. Chew on it…ruminate…meditate. This could be done as the Holy Spirit reminds you of something, as something you encounter reminds you, or as you intentionally seek to spend more time in thought about it.
Consider going back over your journal notes on occasion. In my college classes one of the study techniques we discuss is reviewing material within 24 hours of having learned that material because it transfers that information from short-term memory into long-term memory. For example, after reading a chapter in a book, that evening sometime or the next day go back and quickly flip through/look through what you read and/or highlighted or summarized, or after a lecture go back and briefly look over your notes. One thing you could purpose to do is go back and review any verses or thoughts you wrote down in a journal about what you read or and/or also go back and reread those same verses.
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Finally, just keep repeating this process.
Remember, the more you think on something and study something, the more you will get out of it.
“And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you–and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.” Mark 4:24 (AMPC)
How do you meditate on scripture? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below!
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- “Moo-Natomy: The Biology of a Cow.” Chemicals, www2.kenyon.edu/projects/farmschool/food/milkbio.htm. ↑
